Reject threats, violence or extremism, says Najib

January 30, 2014

The Prime Minister in his Chinese Year message calls for unity and racial harmony

KUALA LUMPUR: Najib Tun Razak has called on Malaysians to reject any form of threat, violence or act of extremism that would strain the harmonious relationship shared and enjoyed by the various races in the country.

The prime minister, in his Chinese New Year greetings, said that while people rejoiced in welcoming the Year of the Horse, the unity and racial harmony that Malaysians had enjoyed so far must be upheld.

“I believe we should all listen to the voice of reason. It is therefore incumbent upon us to act sensibly and to listen to each other’s views.

“In Malaysia’s cultural melting pot, we must respect the rules of law and proceed with sensitivity toward other people’s beliefs,” he said in a post on his http://www.1Malaysia.com.my blog.

He pointed out that despite the transformation advances that had been made, there was still a long way to go and much work to do.

Najib said the transformation programmes needed support from the people from all walks of life – especially so from the Chinese community who are known for their entrepreneurial skills.

He also said that there were countless initiatives being undertaken to improve the livelihood of the people, such as ongoing programmes like the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M), 1Malaysia People’s Shops (KR1M), ‘Ops Harga’ against the arbitrary raising of prices and many others to help mitigate the pinch of global inflationary forces.

He said there were also ongoing consultative meetings and discussions that were focused solely on addressing the issue of easing the people’s burden and that the efforts would go asunder without the support of the people.

“Together, we must remain resilient in the face of economic challenges to sustain stability and progress for our future generation,” he said.

Najib also expressed his appreciation for the nation-building role played by Malaysian Chinese since independence.